Loosely translated to "supplemented rice," Katé-Meshi is a traditional Japanese peasant dish that was developed to enhance rice. Harvests were partitioned for weddings and funerals, local peasants and laborers would mix the leftover rice scraps with plant-based ingredients like barley, millet, sweet potatoes, seaweed, and wild herbs, expanding their rice rations to increase calorie and nutrient content. Today, Katé-Meshi is typically prepared as an event food for Mountain Day, the Peach Flower Festival, and Hanamatsuri (Buddha's birthday), among other celebrations. Laroot's vegan take on Katé-Meshi mingles sticky, sweet sushi rice with abura-age (aJapanese delicacy of thin slices of tofu that are deep-fried until puffed, golden, and crispy, often resembling a pouch) for protein, nutty burdock root supports blood purification, carrot for vitamin A, peppery daikon for vitamin C, and umami mushrooms for selenium. Served with an iodine- and probiotic-rich seaweed salad of pickled cucumber and eggplant seasoned with rice-wine vinegar, chili oil, and sesame seeds, bringing Ayurvedic tastes of astringency and sourness to the earthiness of the Katé-Meshi.
